Had my first day yesterday at FiberOptics! Went well. Hard to explain what I'm doing since they have there own language and I don't know it yet. My explanation goes something like this: "The fiber thingies go thru the thing, then you cut them and put the end thingies on and put this grey stuff on it, then you clamp them down and they're done!" Yeah, there's a bit more, but it's confusing to explain if you haven't actually seen what the heck they are!! But it was a good (tho wicked early) day and everyone there is so nice and they all knew I was coming from Ginny (and Tim and Naomi and Chalice and Holly...), which means they've heard about me from them, which may or may not be a good thing. That remains to be seen. But the work isn't that hard, just sometimes frustrating (fibers have a mind of their own and don't always like working together to go thru the same hole). And since I'm split between two jobs (7:30am - 12pm; assembly aka putting the fibers thru the sheathes and so forth. 12:30pm - 4pm; inventory aka putting the different parts in bags for the different job orders), well let's just say my day is a little more than interesting! It's alot of stuff to learn, but both my supervisors (yes, I have TWO: Gloria in assembly and Karen in inventory) said I was picking it up really quickly and doing really well for my first day. And the best parts: BENEFITS!!!!! I'll be getting health insurance in three months woohoo!!!!!
Today was pretty much the same, working assembly 'till lunch, then inventory 'till 4. My feet are sore because I'm not used to being on my feet this much. But I know I'll get used to it eventually. Well that's it for now, I'm going to go take a nap before YAF tonight, tho I'm not sure anyone's going to show up. Bye!!
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Friday, November 04, 2005
Breakaway
I spoke at Breakaway this week. Since I write better than I speak, I wrote it all out. Here it is for your enjoyment. Hope you like it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, FAITH is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something to stand on or you will be taught how to fly." -Barbara J. Winter
On monday, when Pastor Dave asked me if I would share today, I agreed without really know what I'd talk about. And that's what God has been teaching me lately.
Everyone has their comfort zone, outside of which lies those things we just don't like doing. I don't like standing up and talking in front of other people. It may be hard to believe, but I'm shy by nature. This is way way outside my comfort zone. But God has really been teaching me lately that I need to break out of my comfort zone.
It all started back in January, at the Jr. High winter reatreat. For the sake of time, I'll spare you the specifics. Suffice to say that God started showing me that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. But my problem, my biggest wall that I had to break down, was trust. I had a really hard time with trusting God. It wasn't that I didn't believe He was there. It's like - there's this saying that God's like the wind. You've never seen the wind, but you know it exhists because you can see the effects of the wind: leaves blowing across the street or branches swaying in the breeze. It's the same with God. I've never actually seen God, but I know He's there because I've seen His effects: the beauty of nature, the stories of miracles in the lives of my friends and family, and answers to prayers. But still, how could I trust the wind to keep me from hitting the ground and becoming a pancake if I jump off a cliff? Trusting God to lead me was a leap of faith that i wasn't convinced was worth it.
Then I heard this song called "When the Mountains Fall" by Mark Schultz. I'd heard it many times before, even had it memorized. But this time, I really understood what I meant when it says:
You stand on the edge, you follow the call / No turning back, you are risking it all / He whispers your name in a moment of truth / the rocks fall around you, the ground starts to move / you step out on faith, it's all that you know / you jump into darkness and hold on to hope.
When the mountains fall / when the rivers rise / security crumbles before your eyes / one thing you know: in faith you'll find something to stand on or you will be taught to fly.
Now you see why I started with that quote. Anyway, after alot of thinking, even more praying, and several months, I was beginning to understand. Everything, all the little bits and pieces God had been planting in my brain over the past year, came together at SoulFest. I had gone to SoulFest with a friend and her family, but she was the only person I knew out of hundreds of thousands of people. But she, on the otherhand, knew alot of people there. So more often than not, I was off by myself, doing my own thing. And the funny thing is, God showed up.
Halfway thru the 5 day festival, I stopped by this vendor called 'Remember Me Jewelery' that sold pendants and rings that symolized things like God's Love or Christ's Sacrifice and stuff like that. In that interesting way that God works, this one ring caught my attention. It's called 'I Have Decided' and symbolizes Dedication to Christ. I bought it, and went back to sit by the lake near our campsite. As I sat there, with no ceremony, I told God "Lord, my life is Yours to guide, and I will try my best to follow." And then I read the card that came with my ring as a prayer:
"This ring represents my commitment to follow Christ. THis is it, I've made my choice / to walk with You and heed Your voice / to mortify my flesh within / to separate myself from sin / to love in all I say and do / for I've decided to follow You."
Then I put the ring on. I haven't been the same since. I know I'll never be the same, and I don't want to go back. I actually haven't had a bad day since. It's not that nothing bad has happened, it's just now I know that everything that happens to us is an experience, and because of that, it can never be bad. An experience can only be good, because God is using that experience to shape the people that we are, the people that we become. I think Corrie Ten Boom said it best:
"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."
Leaving your comfort zone is not easy. Living for Christ isn't easy either. It's incredibly hard. But necessary. When you go outside your comfort zone, you grow, and become a better person. You experience things that change your life in ways you could never imagine. When you let God rule your life, I promise, absolutely AWESOME things will happen.
The leap is definitely worth it, when you learn how to fly as a result. Definitely worth it.
Sara K Strand 11/1/05
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, FAITH is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something to stand on or you will be taught how to fly." -Barbara J. Winter
On monday, when Pastor Dave asked me if I would share today, I agreed without really know what I'd talk about. And that's what God has been teaching me lately.
Everyone has their comfort zone, outside of which lies those things we just don't like doing. I don't like standing up and talking in front of other people. It may be hard to believe, but I'm shy by nature. This is way way outside my comfort zone. But God has really been teaching me lately that I need to break out of my comfort zone.
It all started back in January, at the Jr. High winter reatreat. For the sake of time, I'll spare you the specifics. Suffice to say that God started showing me that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. But my problem, my biggest wall that I had to break down, was trust. I had a really hard time with trusting God. It wasn't that I didn't believe He was there. It's like - there's this saying that God's like the wind. You've never seen the wind, but you know it exhists because you can see the effects of the wind: leaves blowing across the street or branches swaying in the breeze. It's the same with God. I've never actually seen God, but I know He's there because I've seen His effects: the beauty of nature, the stories of miracles in the lives of my friends and family, and answers to prayers. But still, how could I trust the wind to keep me from hitting the ground and becoming a pancake if I jump off a cliff? Trusting God to lead me was a leap of faith that i wasn't convinced was worth it.
Then I heard this song called "When the Mountains Fall" by Mark Schultz. I'd heard it many times before, even had it memorized. But this time, I really understood what I meant when it says:
You stand on the edge, you follow the call / No turning back, you are risking it all / He whispers your name in a moment of truth / the rocks fall around you, the ground starts to move / you step out on faith, it's all that you know / you jump into darkness and hold on to hope.
When the mountains fall / when the rivers rise / security crumbles before your eyes / one thing you know: in faith you'll find something to stand on or you will be taught to fly.
Now you see why I started with that quote. Anyway, after alot of thinking, even more praying, and several months, I was beginning to understand. Everything, all the little bits and pieces God had been planting in my brain over the past year, came together at SoulFest. I had gone to SoulFest with a friend and her family, but she was the only person I knew out of hundreds of thousands of people. But she, on the otherhand, knew alot of people there. So more often than not, I was off by myself, doing my own thing. And the funny thing is, God showed up.
Halfway thru the 5 day festival, I stopped by this vendor called 'Remember Me Jewelery' that sold pendants and rings that symolized things like God's Love or Christ's Sacrifice and stuff like that. In that interesting way that God works, this one ring caught my attention. It's called 'I Have Decided' and symbolizes Dedication to Christ. I bought it, and went back to sit by the lake near our campsite. As I sat there, with no ceremony, I told God "Lord, my life is Yours to guide, and I will try my best to follow." And then I read the card that came with my ring as a prayer:
"This ring represents my commitment to follow Christ. THis is it, I've made my choice / to walk with You and heed Your voice / to mortify my flesh within / to separate myself from sin / to love in all I say and do / for I've decided to follow You."
Then I put the ring on. I haven't been the same since. I know I'll never be the same, and I don't want to go back. I actually haven't had a bad day since. It's not that nothing bad has happened, it's just now I know that everything that happens to us is an experience, and because of that, it can never be bad. An experience can only be good, because God is using that experience to shape the people that we are, the people that we become. I think Corrie Ten Boom said it best:
"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."
Leaving your comfort zone is not easy. Living for Christ isn't easy either. It's incredibly hard. But necessary. When you go outside your comfort zone, you grow, and become a better person. You experience things that change your life in ways you could never imagine. When you let God rule your life, I promise, absolutely AWESOME things will happen.
The leap is definitely worth it, when you learn how to fly as a result. Definitely worth it.
Sara K Strand 11/1/05
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
